Feed mechanism



UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs GEORGE W. SWIFT, JR., 0E BORDENTOWN, ANEW JERSEY.

FEED MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 14, 1920.-

0rigina1`app1cation tiled November: 7, 1917, Serial No. 200,698.l Divided and this application iled Februry 17, 1919, Serial No. 277,550. Renewed December 19, 1919. Serial No. 346,167.

To all whom t may concern."

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SWIFT, J r.,

a citizen of the United States, residing-at Bordentown, in the county. of Burlington and State of New Jersey, have invented vcer- Mtain'new' and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved feed-mechanism particularly useful for feeding sheet blanks of cardboard, tin, etc., into machines designed to operate upon said blanks to pro-duce boxes,

cartons, or containers therefrom, the samev being a division of application Serial No.

Y 200,698, filed November 7, 1917.

The improved feed-mechanism comprises in combination with a table, aplurality of parallel shafts carrying sprocket-wheels and chains extending Wheels upon said shafts, said corresponding wheels being out of alinement, and guide means against which blanks are moved un der the action of said chains.

The invention further comprises certam novel details of construction and operation hereinafter brought out in the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a feed-table equipped with the preferred embodiment of the improved feed-mechanism; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same; and Fig. 3 is adiametrical section through the fee mechanism driving-unit. Referring to the drawings, the mechanism of the feed-table is operated by a pinion 1, driven from an external source of power (not shown), said pinion being secured by means of an adjustable disk 2 to a shaft 3, 4

. tion with the disk 2fby loosening suitable set screws or bolts 8, said gear also being Aprovided with diametrically oppositely disposed pins 9, with which is adapted to cooperate a latch-member 10, pivotally mount.- ed at 11, upon a projection `from-themachine frame.

Adjacent to the forwardmost end portion of the feed-table is revolubly .mounted a shaft 12, also revolubly supported vby the etween corresponding tightened to Llock the 'causes the blank to also `without the necessit channel iron's 5 and carrying spaced sprocket-wheels 13, out of alinement with the said sprocket-wheels 4 (as shown in Fig. 1), while between them travel parallel sprocketchains 14 in a diagonal direction, connected by angle feed bars 15, the tension of said sprocket-chains beingnraintained as desired j by means of idlers 16, carried upon the free ends of depending pivotally mounted members 17.

In adjusting the feed-mechanism for a given machine with which it is to be used', said machine is stopped in such a position that the parts of the machine adapted to by means of the hand-wheel 7, until the next successive angle feed bar 15 abuts against the rearmost edge of a blank 18 resting upon the table and having its forward edge in its desired relationship with respect to the parts of the associated machine referred to above. The set screws or bolts 8 are then gear l toits shaft, after which each successlve blank is fed into the machine in the desired relation thereto.AY

During this feeding operation, it is obvi` ous that the friction between the rear edge of the sheet blank and the angle barv 15,

moving in a diagonal path across the table,

progress in a diagonal path, thus maintaining said blank in constant uniform contact with a side guide, which in this case comprises an angleiron 19, adjustably positioned by means of set-screws 20, said guide determining the position transversely of the associated machine at which the blank enters the same.

rIhe feed-table 21=11sedx with this mecha'- nism is supported -by thech'annel irons 5,

and above the rear portion is aplatform 22 carrying the stack 23 of blanks to be fed.

Said table is alsov provided with diagonal` slots or apertures 24 in which the feed sprocket-chains 14 mpve. In this construction, it is noticeable that with the shafts 3 and 12 parallel and perpendicular to the lateral irons 5, saidsliafts are readily driven of resortingto vbevel gears, or their equiva ent, Iwhile the sprocket chains 14 can still progress diagonally vby los 10oy i what I claim and -desire to protect by Let-A ters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine of the character set forth,

the combination of a feed table, a side guide- 1o upon said table, feeding means traversing said table in a path inclined from the longitudinal toward said side guide and having sheet engaging members adapted to frictionally engage ,the rear edge of a sheet and push it forward in said inclined path until the sheet engages the side guide and then slip laterally upon` and complete the advance of the sheet parallel with the guide.

2. In a machine-of the character set forth, the combination of a feed table, a side guide upon said table, feed chains traversing said table in planes .inclined from the longitudinal toward said side guide and members upon said chains extending above said board transversely of said guide adapted to' frictionally engage the rear edge of a sheet to push the sheet .forward and laterally in said inclined path until it engages said guide and then slip upon the edge of the sheet until its forward movement is completed.

3. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of a feed table, a side guide upon said table, feed chains traversing said table in planes inclined from the longitudinal toward said side guide, and transverse vfeed bars'carried by said chains adapted to shift objects toward .said guide yas they progress through the machine.

5. In a mechanism of the character de- Y scribed, the combination of suitable feeding mechanism including members for periodically engaging objects to be fed, va drive shaft for said feeding mechanism, a gear element loosely mounted upon said drive shaft and adapted to be drivenv by the machine to which said feeding mechanism delivers, means for holding said gear element rigid while the fee'd mechanism and drive shaft are adjusted with relation to it, and

means for ad'ustably securing said gear element u pon t e drive shaft.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

l vGEORGE w. swim, JR. Nimes-ses:

lE`. W. OVERTON.

E. B. Arens. 

